Category | Sub-category | Representative Code |
Gratitude toward others | Happiness in deepened family ties | I came to enjoy the time spent with my family. |
I felt gratitude to my family. | ||
I found I can relax best in the family. | ||
Presence of a partner that became more important to me | I noted another side of my partner’s personality. | |
I noticed that the load weighing me down has been lighter when I am with my husband. | ||
Realization of and gratitude toward people who accept me | I came to understand the feelings of others after developing cancer. | |
I noticed there are people who listen to me after developing cancer. | ||
I noticed myself regenerated by consideration of others. | ||
Importance of words spoken by those with the same experience | I realized that words spoken by those with the same experience are encouraging. | |
Benefits due to the cancer | Activities to be engaged in after a cancer diagnosis | I enjoy hobbies I prepared for in order not to be discouraged. |
What I think was lucky | I decided to think that I was able to quit smoking as a reward for the amputation of the breast(s). | |
I thought that I was lucky to have a right to sit in priority seats (in public transport) thanks to the cancer. | ||
Happiness at living a normal life | Pleasure in doing things that are taken for granted | I was grateful that I could live to welcome the New Year. |
I appreciated that I could perform daily activities. | ||
A feeling of peace recognized through experiencing pain | I felt happy to do daily activities by myself. | |
I felt the joy of life without physical pain. | ||
Realization of and satisfaction with my growth | My growth achieved through the cancer experience | After the cancer experience, I became able to see a lot of things that had been invisible before. |
I learned the philosophy to be able to change something unfavorable to favorable. | ||
I felt my own growth through experiencing cancer. | ||
Pleasure in re-recognizing my own skills | I was pleased to recognize my skills. | |
Awareness of the meaning of my existence | Awareness of the meaning of my existence | I became aware of my own existence after developing cancer. |
I began to regard myself positively through experiencing cancer. | ||
Hopes for life | Importance of life recognized through experiencing cancer | Thanks to cancer, I became able to notice what was impossible before. |
I needed to face obstacles to learn about life. | ||
I want to cherish my valuable experience of breast cancer. | ||
Willingness to make the most of life` | What made me positive is holding on to life rather than acceptance of death. | |
Although we cannot change our innate fate, we can change destiny by ourselves. | ||
I wish to treasure my limited time to the full. | ||
Time given by cancer to start life again | I thought that I was given time to face my death. | |
I learned to think the cancer was not entirely bad because I can prepare for it to the last moment. | ||
I want to cherish every moment of my life while preparing for death. | ||
Appreciation for experiencing cancer in the present age | I appreciate that I developed the cancer today when better treatment is available. | |
Awareness of living with cancer | The image of cancer has changed from death to living together. | |
Willingness to contribute to others | Cancer experience that impels me to take advantage of | I don’t want anyone to experience breast cancer. |
I wish to support others as much as I can. | ||
I must have some mission because I am still alive although I was diagnosed as cancer. | ||
Improved understanding of the attitudes of healthcare providers toward patients | I became able to understand patients’ feelings. | |
I reconfirmed my policy to extend a supporting hand to patients as a nurse. |